Definitely sounds like a cool event - and if you like film - and good food - I think you'll want to clear your calendar for this one:

The Japan Film Society (JFS) proudly presents its Inaugural Community Screening Series event with THE WINTER SHORTS!

Join us as we showcase a selection of shorts from local Japanese and Japanese-influenced filmmakers, featuring special Q&A sessions with the talent after each film! This event is set to take place on Sunday, December 6th at The Royal/T Café, a fusion of café/shop/art, in Culver City, (8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232). Doors will open at 6:00 pm with the first screening at 6:30 pm. Admission is $16, which includes a dinner selection from the delicious Royal/T menu. Admission for screening only is $8.

About Royal/T CaféRoyal/T Café is a playful blending of café, concept shop and art exhibition space. The space reflects the interior realm of fantasy that strongly influences the artists included in owner Susan Hancock’s collection. Royal/T Cafe is inspired by the meido kissa (maid café) phenomena of Akihabara—Tokyo’s electronic district. Recontextualizing the underground culture of Japan that celebrates cosplay (costume play) waitresses dress in maid uniforms, with a Lolita-esque touch and the café serves a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine with local and organic California style. The art space showcases curated exhibitions with a focus on Japanese contemporary art; and an inventive concept store emulates the collections’ sophistication—a fusion of pop culture and high-end design.

About Japan Film Society

Founded earlier this year, the Japan Film Society (JFS) is dedicated to supporting the art of Japanese and Japanese-influenced film among Western audiences. Its membership is comprised of artists, businesspeople and film lovers, many of whom come from within the entertainment industry and who have been longtime participants in other Film Festivals and Cinema events.

I've had a few questions since I started this thing - what I loosely call a blog - about the name - and while a lot of times I say something like "I think it just speaks for itself, and I think you either get it or you don't" - for some odd reason I just felt like posting up on it.

Slant Eye - just taking it back - you really do either get it or you don't (and hey - my eyes are Slanty so it's kind of apropos that I sign my emails that way - although in person I'll just say "You can call me _____" - however if you decide to fill in the blank yourself - at least come up with something original).

The phrase "Round Eye" though?

I do use it as a pejorative to describe mass media, government, social structures - everyone and everything that looks past who we are as a community - as individuals - who only see our color, hear the way we talk, and never look past the stereotypes they've collected to see and acknowledge what we do bring to the table - how woven we really are into the American tapestry.

In that way I'm just telling it like it is - what it's really about - using a term that I think more than adequately describes where a lot of people and organizations still are in terms of seeing the Asian and API community.

There's an interesting read on Korean American artist Byron Kim down at the Washington Post that I wanted to link up on up too:

"Synecdoche," by the 48-year-old Korean American artist Byron Kim, recently went on view to the public, filling a huge wall on the lower level of the East Building. The piece should raise eyebrows and questions, even some ire -- which shows just how good it is.

Like a lot of the best fine art, the premise behind the piece could hardly be simpler: It consists of a grid of 429 panels, each one 8 by 10 inches. Kim has painted each panel a single shade of pink or brown or tan that is meant to reproduce the skin tone of a different person who sat for him. A grid of names on a nearby wall lets us match sitters to their color patches. Lorna Simpson, the well-known African American artist, turns out to be dark-chocolate brown. The late Marcia Tucker, founder of the New Museum in New York, is a pale beige. Kim's unfamous relations tend toward pale olives and dark buffs.

A tremendous shout out must go to its director Gary San Angel. A couple filmmakers expressed interest in making a music video for this song when the album first came out, but nothing panned out, and perhaps it was meant to be. Gary put his heart into this project, and I could not have been more honored and proud to have him as my director for this music video. With a couple of incredible state-of-the-art cameras and a wonderful team, he grasped the very feeling of the song and enhanced it with the beauty of Philadelphia, a city I've come to love dearly over the years for its grit, good food and people. The footage of the families are tender and strong. The portraits of the people in Love Park are luminous and stunning. When I watch this music video, I am reminded of why I do what I do. I hope it does the same for you. I hope these faces bring you back to the reasons why you do legal work or medical work, why you teach, write, work at that non-profit, take those classes, work the 9 to 5, make art... why you care. If it moves you, please rate, comment and share. Gary tried to get this in around this time as a gift to folks for the holiday season. In my opinion, it is a true gift.

Thank you for your support.

Peace,Taiyo Na

----------------

To commemorate this Thanksgiving weekend. I thought it would be appropriate to send this beautiful music video out to the world called Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) by New York based artist Taiyo Na from his debut album Love is Growth. I completed the final cut of the music video on Thanksgiving day and thought it would be nice to give thanks to our moms and to all the people who shared part in raising us.

I want to give a very special shout out and thank you to Taiyo Na for trusting me and for allowing me to take his song on this journey, to back up his beautiful song with visuals and stories from our community here in Philadelphia form Chinatown to Love Park and beyond.

A very big thank you to David Lin and the Asian Arts Initiative for helping to produce this project. As well as Eric Law and Wai Man Ip from Chinese Arts and Crafts, Inc. and Karen Thai from QT Vietnamese Sandwich in Chinatown.

This is not just a music video it's a community arts film project involving so many voices and volunteers. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who were apart of this vision. I could not have done it with out you. I was merely the conductor orchestrating all these amazing moments. I only hope that what you see is something that is unique, honest, and powerful.

Please share this with your friends, family, loved ones close and far. I hope this is a reminder to us all where we all came from.

If you like what you see please support Taiyo Na by purchasing his debut album "Love is Growth" at www.taiyona.com

If you missed it you can catch the YouTube video out here and while it's great to see the character Tina get her own solo - I can't really think of a solo I've seen on Glee where they haven't focused on the main singer as little as they did with Jenna Ushkowitz.

I don't really know why people don't tell you how to use you before you actually get into the car (because I just thought you worked like other cars) - and yes, I did realize eventually there was a manual in the glove compartment, although just for the record, I really don't know why they call it a glove compartment when there're almost never gloves in the actual compartment - but I just want you to know that me + you make for lots of fun for other people.

See, it probably wasn't really that safe, but somehow I kept on getting you into drive or reverse, even though I wasn't really sure how.

The first couple of times I just figured I probably didn't push the Power button hard enough - but I really didn't care - I was just happy to be driving you, becase you know - I had stuff to do. But the third time? As I sat there in my stall for what actually seemed like 10 minutes turning you on and off and then back on again, once I did get it into reverse, really - no lie - I thought it was because there was a safety lock on you that prevented you from going into drive or reverse when the radio was on - it just made sense to me at that point.

But then I had to get you back into drive again after that, and I realized that in fact this was not the case - because I had the radio off and my seat belt on and just to be sure, I even turned off the air conditioning.

I hit the brake so many times, turned you back on and off again, that the parking lot attendant couldn't help but actually mention to the person on the phone he was talking too about this guy he was watching who was sitting in a Prius turning it off and on and stepping on the brake a lot (because I saw this light on you that lit up with the word "Brake" so I kept on hitting the actual brake over and over, as well as kept on pushing the parking break on and off again as well).

Yes. I could have looked at the manual, but I didn't actually think to myself of using such an "old school" method. I didn't even think to look there until someone I talked with later said "Did you check the manual in the glove compartment?".

No. I went on to YouTube with my iPhone because I figured there had to be someone who showed a video about the right way to get you into gear.

And I was right.

Who knew you had to step on the brake at the same time you pressed the Power button. I mean really - who knew.

I have to admit, once I found that out I was giddy - and giddy really is the right word - I just turned you on and off again and put you into drive and reverse, just because I could (because it made me feel smarter than I actually am).

So Prius - thank you for helping me to overcome being Prius challenged. I won't probably ever buy you (in part because I would get distracted by your energy display and then your Prius child that you spawned would be a Prius wreck) - but I have enjoyed driving you even if I really didn't understand how to actually work you right away.

I just wanted to thank you so much for sitting behind those slot machines while you drink coffee counting the number of spins on each machine and then tapping me on the back letting me know that the one I sat down at had spun 500 times without getting into the bonus (and for you slot machine addicts, you know what I'm talking about).

Yes, I did go against your advice and stuck in a hundred, but - and who knows, this may have been to your dismay - apparently it was set to trigger soon thereafter.

Actually purchasing a copy of People, I perused the pages to see what it had in store for API males and guess what - not really a lot. Out of the 110 or so featured men - I only counted four - yes - a whole whopping four.

Now - I'm not saying the men there shouldn't be proud to make the list - because you should (and you are some really handsome men) - but wow - only four of you?

Isn't there something called being timely in the magazine/press/journalistic world? Don't you think it would have made sense (and I'm talking to you People) to maybe at least have had someone called - I don't know - Justin Chon in those pages as well?

The Philippine Consulate General in New York reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that it co-sponsored a free business seminar with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center, U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC)-Northeast USA, and BPI Express Remittance Corporation-New York at the Philippine Center in New York on 18 November. The seminar attracted around 70 members of the Filipino-American community and representatives of Filipino-American companies. Three high-ranking USPAACC Northeast USA officials, namely Mr. Savio Chan (President), Ms. Jackie La Joie (Chairperson), and Mr. David Blau (Regional Director) served as the seminar’s guest speakers. Three other USPAACC Board Members came along with them.

The Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America represents cities from Honolulu to Montreal. Founded in 1987, the growing organization serves as an advocate for Taiwanese businesses throughout the United States and Canada. The group held its 22nd annual board meeting and gala Saturday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Addison. Several speakers thanked Addison Mayor Joe Chow for hosting the group and for his efforts in promoting Taiwanese interests.

[sic] ... we would be remiss if we didn't tell you about this youthful bit of human interest news: at the ripe age of 26, Campbell's vice mayor Evan Low is "expected to be selected by the city council to serve as mayor." This would make Evan would become the youngest openly gay mayor and youngest Asian American mayor in the U.S.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner and five Chinese-American students led the delegation from Qingdao (pronounced "ching dow") on a tour. An hour-long discussion on the difference between the two countries' schools, facilitated by Graner, was followed by lunch from the school cafeteria.

A panel on Asian Americans in the fashion industry that will explore brand, industry, and frameworks of visual flows of Asians in the fashion industry both in the US and in Asia. Panelists include Mie Iwatsuki (art curator and model), Susan Shin (dranding expert), Sally Wu (knit designer for Milly), and moderated by Thuy Linh Tu (NYU A/P/A Studies Program).

But the narrative is not as rosy as the article portrays. It reveals a fundamental problem for stats concerning Asian Americans: it lumps a group with diverse socio-economic histories into one composite and overlooks the disparities within Asian communities. Moreover, it largely ignores the working class who often face language and structural barriers.

Evangelical publisher Zondervan has pulled a leadership book featuring a kung fu theme after Asian-American Christian leaders led an online protest against its imagery. The book, Deadly Viper Character Assassins: A Kung Fu Survival Guide for Life and Leadership, and its related curriculum included Asians in ninja garb with the words "character creep" and videos that featured "Caucasians speaking with fake Asian accents," said the Rev. Soong-Chan Rah, an associate professor at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago.

It has been a couple of weeks now since Republicans upset the Democrats in the New Jersey and Virginia governor’s races. Both of these states went for Barack Obama in 2008. There were two simple explanations debated among the pundit class (although in politics the reality is never simple): 1) The incumbent in New Jersey and the democratic nominee in Virginia were exceptionally poor candidates. One (Corzine) was very unpopular and the other (Deeds) was just too unpolished a candidate. 2) Independents are very discontent with Obama and this is a sign that the country is turning toward Republicans and Republican ideals [...]

I just wanted to send out a post your way and say that I hope each and everyone of you had or is having a great Thanksgiving Holiday (political undertones aside). I myself have had a wonderful Holiday of kicking it to the slots for a nice 12 hour stint, getting a little inebriated, eating three meals, promptly falling asleep, and now after the drool has been wiped from my face, am back to a sedentary position in front of my desk in my cozy home office.

Happy Thanksgiving - and to all a good night (because if you think about, at least according to shopping standards - it's Xmas).

Just got this sent on in and wanted to post it up in full - and if you've ever wanted to put on a workshop - this one's for you:

Workshop Opportunity for the 2010 NWFASA Conference @ Portland State University

Attached is the workshop proposal form for the 16th annual NWFASA Conference on April 9-11, 2010 at Portland State Univerity. The theme for this years conference is "Isulong: Building, Creating, Forging Ahead". Last years conference held at Washington State University was hosted to nearly 500 youth and students from the Northwest. Please take your time to complete the workshop proposal attached in this e-mail.

Here is a short description of the Alliance:

Formerly known as the Washington State Filipino American Student Alliance a.k.a. "the Alliance" was established in 1995 by Filipino student organizations from Washington universities. The Alliance has grown to 16 member organizations from different campuses in Washington and Oregon. And in 2003 "the Alliance" has been renamed to be called Northwest Filipino American Student Alliance (NWFASA).

The Alliance brings together the various student groups on higher education campuses across the state of Washington and Oregon. Since 1995, NWFASA has put together a conference every year to gather Filipino-American students for a weekend of learning, empowerment, leadership, networking, and team-building. The conference continues to be annual, attended by more than 400 students, and has been held throughout Oregon and Washington. NWFASA's purpose is to build a strong network and community between the organizations in order to pool resources, increase education/awareness, and provide support to current & new organizations. NWFASA goals are for the betterment of our Filipino American community through education, student activism, and involvement.

I can't actually post the proposal as a PDF on the blog here (at least right now), but I'm sure if you e-mail any of the folks above, they'll be able to get your a copy - but feel free to e-mail me as well and I can certainly pass it on your way (although e-mailing the real people involved with the event could be quicker - especially if I'm on a hot streak - because if that's the case - I'm just not coming home to the computer).

This sounds like a great event, so rather than talking about it myself - I'll just post up the bulletin:

What up fam!

This holiday season…[cue epic music] …. for the first time ever [music gets more epic]… Derek and I are teaming up with an amazing group of musicians, activists, and chefs (yes chefs!) to SAVE THE BABIES. How? How else? With an unforgettable benefit concert in our first home, THE BAY AREA.

Our aim is to raise funds for children at risk of sex trafficking in the poorest regions of Asia, so 100% of the concert proceeds will be donated to ACWP's (Aid for Children Without Parents) "Saving Children in Crisis" Program. Our other aim is to rock your socks off.

Derek and I are insanely excited about this event… not only do we get to give back for the holidays, but we get to do it in the bay! It's been forever since we've been back in Cali for a show, so we're going alllllllll out. We're debuting brand new songs off our upcoming album, and our entire set will be backed with live instrumentation from an amazing band that was assembled across the nation... just for this event.

So mark your calendars, call up your friends, and tell your momma!! This DECEMBER 19th @ the Smithwick Theatre in Los Altos, let's save some babies and make some beautiful music.

Hope to see you there ...and we especially hope to see the fans that grew up with us when we were in the Bay! We wouldn't be anywhere without your support!

While I know they're young and still trying to figure out which ball to hold so they won't spew all of over the place when they see a random person bending over to tie their shoes - and they did get suspended - White People - I think you need to do an intervention.

Thought I would give a plug to the blog Absolutelyfobulous who've apparently been adopted by Gil Asakawa and Erin Yoshimura - and really - any blog that has a post on a Chinese artificial hymen is worth checking out at least once.

Discover the remains of early Chinese immigrants, and their extraordinary final journey from Portland to Hong Kong.

Upcoming screening-

December 4th, Friday, 7pm5th Avenue Cinema510 SW Hall St., Portland, OR 97209*Q&A with the director following the screening

Synopsis-

Block 14 in Lone Fir Cemetery, the first Chinese burial ground in Portland—and site of as many as 1,500 burials—now stands as a fenced off void of gravel after most of the remains were exhumed and shipped back to China in 1928 & 1949.

Sixty years later, Director Ivy Lin follows the footsteps of the missing 1949 shipment in an extraordinary journey from Portland to Hong Kong.

After getting suspended for one game for making comments about Hamed Haddadi, the first person of Iranian descent to play in the NBA (who's won gold at the FIBA Asian Championships) Ralph and Mike are back - and really - what can you say that already hasn't been said?

A recent Gallup poll showed that 67% of responders don't want Palin to run for president. Fear of Palin is ill-advised on two counts. First, fear is what the shadow wants. Without it, the shadow has no power. Second, the left needs to learn how to win graciously. The current upheaval in American society, which has been an enormous threat on many fronts, called forth a president and a constituency that knows how to handle crisis. The voices of sanity are prevailing. The solutions that have emerged on all fronts -- economic, social, and international -- represent the best in the American character.

But you can't expect everyone to join the party. As long as we know that Palin is fooling nobody all of the time, the darker side can be tolerated. The shadow is always with us. Today it's on a book tour.

Remember that the shadows believe in the tree people, the wind blows up the pant leg of the Barnes and Noble, and the child, simple and innocent, will forever be frozen by Katie's bum.

It never ceases to amaze me how low some men will go to have sex - and I just don't get the mentality. If you wanna get your rocks off, put on some porn and masturbate - lube it up, rub it in circles, get a toy with some rechargeable batteries, put on some ear muffs get out the feather duster and see if you can break the Dyson - no matter what you do when you masturbate - it's probably legal in most countries.

A Taiwanese man has been arrested for a scam in which he tricked up to 20 women into having sex because they believed they were helping to prolong his life, according to press reports Sunday. Hsu Hsien-ming, a 50-year-old divorcee and stock market analyst, was arrested at a Taipei hotel Saturday as he was checking out the after meeting his latest victim, the Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) reported.

Allegedly, Hsu posted photos online of a young model and used that image to contact the women. Going under the name Angor, he introduced himself as a 30-year-old son of a Taiwanese father and French mother who was on business in the US, but was looking to marry a Taiwanese woman.

However, according to reports, Angor would not consider marrying a woman unless she was prepared to have sex with his father - Hsu, in real life. The request was explained by the fact that Angor's father had terminal prostate cancer and only six months to live. Only constant sex would keep him alive, Angor told the women.

What's good to hear about though is that the model who's picture was being used - 29 year-old Richie Kul from the U.S. - has gone to Taiwan to sue Hsu - who apparently - big surprise - is divorced and bald.

Here's to hoping some justice gets served and there's also some spontaneous ball dropping.

Just wanted to post up this link from the LA Times spotlighting KAZN-AM and the community that it fosters with its listeners:

The station's owner, Multimedia Radio Broadcasting Inc., runs sister stations: KMRB-AM 1430, which provides similar programming in Los Angeles, but in Cantonese, and KAHZ-AM 1600, a simulcast of KAZN heard primarily in Orange County and parts of Riverside County.

The stations' combined audience is more than 250,000, according to a 2005 Arbitron ratings survey. That pales in comparison to some Spanish-language stations, but industry insiders say the Chinese American audience shouldn't be overlooked.

"Our consumers are educated, brand-conscious, bilingual. . . . These are loyal customers with high buying power," said Eric Chang, national sales account director for Networks Asia, a division of Multimedia. "The Hispanic market is 10 years ahead of us. But in another 10 years, we'll be just as strong."

For now KAZN remains the dominant voice in the Chinese community in L.A. and serves as a clearinghouse for all sorts of general information. On the weekends, one can hear Bible stories, Buddhist sermons, family counseling, celebrity interviews and lectures on immigration law.

Somehow the T.V. Gods must have been shining down on me tonight as I was flipping through the channels because for some odd reason I stopped on 2 1/2 men - which I haven't been watching - only to hear them talk about Alan's unfortunate incident with a "Japanese Penis Enlargement System" - and as we all know - making a joke about penis enlargement just isn't good enough (and really how can it be) - no - in order to get the audience really laughing you always have to have the tie-in to Asians because really the two just go together.

We all know the case was frivolous - at least most of us do - but at the same time I can't help but smirk a little that Cyrus has to pay her own legal bills - and actually - now that I just said that maybe the lawsuit wasn't that worthless after all because in the end it shows that if you're a celeb who doesn't really have the same rights as most people in regard to being in the public eye and information about you - if you do end up making racist little chinky eyes - even if the court case against you gets thrown out you're still going to have pay.

Interestingly enough I caught this alert that directed me over to some blog who I won't name where some blogger said the following:

Several months ago, some “Asian-American” sued Miley Cyrus for FOUR BILLION DOLLARS for being “racist” and “discrimination”, because a picture appeared online of her and her friends pulling their eyes back to “look Asian” or something.

Again, I have no rhyme or reason for this particular post except that as I was driving home I just happened to blurt out the word "Ebulamenities" and then tried coming up with a definition for it as I thought to myself that it really should be an actual word. The only thing I could put together though was something tied to the Ebola Virus, and condiments - not quite the same as amenities but I was kinda hungry.

For any of you inquiring - yes - my mind is a fun place to be and I can really entertain myself for hours.

There's just a nice read I wanted to post up from Frances Kai-Hwa - who's also editor at IMDiversity.com Asian American Village - down at the AnnArbor who talks about Thanksgiving and the different ways people are celebrating, and I just thought as this is the week of the Turkey (no no, not me - although thanks for the thought) it was apropos (and the picture of the cute kid hovering over a plate of Thai butternut squash curry is worth the click too).

Because let's face it - you do really want to know - o.k. - you actually probably don't - but what the hell right - because good or bad - sometimes you do need your fill of API celebs in the spotlight.

Chalk this up to a decent weekend for API's in the spotlight with two movies that did fairly well at the box office - and by fairly well I mean huge box office receipts for that little thing called The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which earned close to $260 million worldwide.

Planet 51, led by the voice of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson didn't do too bad either taking in a cool $12.6 million and landing in fourth place.

And that movie 2012 with Thandie Newton still kept on chugging along taking in another $26.5 million staying in the top 3.

By using the phrase "Golfs It" you may think I mean this in a bad way - although that's not actually the case - I just posted what came to my mind, and by now, if you've been a reader of this blog for some time (which makes me question your sanity) - you also know I'm a hack - so that really shouldn't come as a surprise.

But I digress:

Vietnamese-American Andrew Hung Pham won the fourth Kinh Do Golf Tournament, which wrapped up on Saturday at the Viet Nam Golf and Country Club in HCM City.

Pham won with the best combined score of 74 strokes.

The tournament also included first, second and third prizes in the men’s handicap division A, played by golfers with handicaps from 0 to 15, the men’s handicap division B (16-28) and the Callaway Division.

The winner of the ladies’ handicap competition was Ngo Ngoc Nhi, with a gross score of 81.

Twelve prizes were also awarded for the longest drive, accurate drive and near pin.

Winners from divisions and the champion Pham, will participate in a golf tournament in Macau, China.

Over the past week or so one of the films I ended up watching was Seven Pounds, and while I only planned to watch a little of it on Netflix, it kinda sucked me in - what I really liked about it was that it brought me back to the days of Six Degrees of Separation which if memory serves me correctly was the first film I actually saw him in. I like his blockbusters (at least some of them), but you also kind of like what you know - what first drew you in - although I think they should have cut out some of the ending...

I happened to catch this Op-Ed piece at Fredericksburg.com which basically goes a little something like this:

For our country's and president's well-being, it is more than past the time to discard the race card. It is the height of insult to anyone's basic intellect when the card is played. It is done, most times, to cause separation and to hold people down.

Let's break down the walls. We are Americans, not German-Americans, not Polish-Americans, not Italian-Americans, not Irish-Americans, not Mexican-Americans, not Chinese-Americans, and not African-Americans.

We need to be united, not divided. Our heritage is important, but we should be Americans first.

We're all Americans (if you live in the U.S. that is) but what I always find interesting about these types of statements is that if you look at the immigrants of the past - they were always proud of their heritage, their ethnicity, any part of their culture that they came with to the U.S., passed down to their children, evolving over time.

It's only when people of color, non-white factions (and you could also say of certain religious descents) who decided to be proud of where they came from - who said to a society that basically told them "We just want to use and de-humanize you." - only then did the battle cry of "We need to be Americans, not Other Americans" come about. Only after some POC started to come into some power did people decide that being proud of who you were, your home country, your culture, your ethnicity - that Other - only then did they decide that it was somehow wrong.

Some of you may like this. Some of you may not. NSFW. And yes, I'm thinking there's a certain individual he's calling out as well (who also happens to have a Korean ID - which I don't really get the reference - but hey - I can't get all of them).

This is a little bit away - but you can never know about things too far in advance can you? And it sounds like a great thing because Columbia College's Chicago's Center for Asian Arts and Media is going to produce the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song in the summer of 2010 with an unveiling in concert in Washington, DC in May 2010, honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (in collaboration with the U.S.-Asia Institute), and be fully produced in Chicago for a month starting in August 2010 where afterwards it's going to play in Shanghai. David Henry Hwang is going to be serving as a creative advisor for the project.

The title - in full - is actually called Visions and Revisions: The Flower Drum Song Project which you can find our more information from at their site.

LR: So where did the idea for Kundiman come from, and what unique purpose does it have in the Asian American writing community?

JL: It really started off as kind of the infamous BBQ story. [Co-founder] Sara Gambito had invited me to an aunt’s place—the term of endearment, no blood relation—and we were sitting on hammocks, eating charred meat, amazed how this group of people was so comfortable together, like family. It just hit us. We had both struggled upon graduating from MFAs: we had tried finding communities but were both at a loss. I told her about Cave Canem, which is a home for African American writers. We thought, why not do this for ourselves, for Asian American poets?

Unlike umbrella organizations for a lot of different writing, Kundiman is more focused towards poetry. Because the Asian American umbrella is very complicated, we try to vary the retreat ethnically, by age, and stylistically: we’ve had Myung Mi Kim, who is a very experimental poet; Rick Barot, who is a formalist and narrative poet; and Staceyann Chin, who is a spoken word poet. We don’t want to shun anyone. Remember that Sarah and my initial experience was that we felt excluded. So that’s what we try to do–create a space.

Since I last posted on the Good Asian Drivers they've been on 2 national tours, added a 3rd member (legendary drummer, Ashley Baier), signed onto a major booking agency, became nominated for an Out Music Award, AND they have a BRAND new studio album.

Pretty damn cool huh?

You know I have to admit that part of the reason I love doing what I do here is simply because I just get exposed to so much great art and the video above for "Here's To You" definitely falls in that category (which means you better watch it - and I mean now).

I've posted up about this event in the past and even though I think this is going to be a great event - and one you should definitely get out too especially if you're a hoops fan - I'm just greatly honored that a man like Raymond Townsend even knows who I am and sent something my way on this.

Clear your calendars:

This unique event will be hosted by Raymond Townsend, the first and only Filipino to play in the NBA. Raymond Townsend was drafted in the 1st round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Golden St. Warriors, and played four seasons for the Warriors and the Indiana Pacers. He also played four seasons at UCLA and was a member of the 1975 UCLA Basketball National Champions under legendary Coach John Wooden.

This historic cultural event will celebrate our unique and rich Filipino heritage, raise funds for disaster relief in the Philippines, promote and support our young Filipino entertainers to “Follow Their Dreams”, and enjoy our favorite sport, NBA Basketball. This will truly be a wonderful evening full of fun, entertainment, and basketball.

For ticket purchase and more information, go to: www.filipinohoopsandheritage.com

I always like to spread a little bit of good news - so here it is straight from the press release:

Eight San Francisco Bay Area Organizations Receive Support for Their Efforts in Domestic Violence Prevention and AwarenessWALNUT CREEK, Calif., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Bay Area women affected by domestic violence will benefit from $40,000 in donations from Verizon Wireless to organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness in the Asian-American community. Eight local organizations will be awarded grants from the company's HopeLine® phone recycling program: Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Asian Women's Shelter, Cameron House, Chinese Community Health Resource Center, Korean Community Center of the East Bay, MAITRI, Narika and Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay.

The eight recipient agencies will use the HopeLine funding to support new and existing domestic violence prevention and support programs such as an emergency shelter, youth peer counseling, transitional housing and in-language staffing support.

"Asian Americans for Community Involvement runs one of a handful of domestic violence shelters geared toward the Asian-American community in the U.S.," said Teresa Yu, domestic violence program manager of AACI. "This generous grant from Verizon Wireless will allow us to continue providing culturally appropriate services that target the unmet needs of Asian women and their families looking to live free of violence."

The grants are part of Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program, which puts wireless services and equipment to work to assist victims of domestic violence. HopeLine's national phone recycling and reuse program collected nearly 1.13 million wireless phones in 2008 and has collected more than 6 million wireless phones since 2001. In the past two years through this program, Verizon Wireless--along with the Verizon Foundation--has donated more than $435,000 in cash grants, phones and airtime to shelters and other organizations in Northern California that work to support victims of domestic violence and their families.

"I encourage everyone to dig through their closets, ask friends and family members for their used cell phones and accessories, and donate them to HopeLine," said Kevin Zavaglia, region president for Verizon Wireless. "A simple phone donation can make a lasting impact on the lives of domestic violence survivors right here in the San Francisco Bay Area."

HopeLine wireless phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation. Verizon Wireless encourages everyone who plans to give a phone to HopeLine to make sure service on that device has been discontinued and to erase any personal data. Phones given to the HopeLine program are refurbished and resold for reuse, or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

­Archie Panjabi made her film debut in the British hit "East Is East." Her additional feature film credits include "Traitor," "Bend It Like Beckham," "The Constant Gardener," "A Mighty Heart," and the title role in "Yasmin," for which she earned the Best Actress award at the Reims Festival and the Shooting Star Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. She will next be seen in the upcoming film "House Husbands," with John Hannah.

Punjabi has a natural ear for accents, a talent frequently utilized in her film and television roles. She has played everything from Scottish to Indian to American.

Born in England, Punjabi spent part of her childhood in Mumbai (Bombay), and considers herself "part Bombayite, part British." She graduated from Brunel University, England, with a degree in Management Studies. She currently resides in London. Her birth date is May 31.

First let me congratulate you on your first ever LPGA win earlier this week. Sure I didn't really congratulate you because honestly - I didn't know until later on - and than I thought to myself "Well I could congratulate her, but let's see what happens next..."

And guess what?

Yup. You're out of it again.

What the Hell?

Are you trying to break all of our necks as we strain to see where you're going (up down up down...down...down, back up...injured)?

Now, I'm not a sports trainer, or even a sports guy (unless you call what I do in private with the lube a sport - and sometimes it is a marathon btw) - but I think you shoulda sucked it up and kept on playing - I mean you did have a brace didn't you?

I'm not a doctor either, but I'm thinking when you have an ankle injury - maybe crouching down on YOUR ANKLE - even if you needed to check out the shot - maybe isn't the best thing to do.

Couldn't you lay on your belly or something?

O.K., that's it.

I might think about suing someone if I were you (although I don't know who the hell that would be).

So I was driving around and catching up on some of my NPR - because I'm worldy dammit - and even though I can't tell you the name of the person that was being interviewed - who was also getting an award as a journalist (and I'm not telling you because I don't want too but simply because I can't remember) - one of the topics that came up was trafficking children for sex and sexual tourism - as in child sexual tourism and the basic phrase that got uttered during this interview was "People are not going to the traditional places to have sex with children anymore like Thailand and Cambodia, they're going to Mexico."

Let's be clear here. Obviously paying for sex with kids is just fucking disgusting and I don't care where it happens, if you do - you should get all your shit cut off - whatever it is.

That being said - I couldn't help but cringe just a little when the phrase "traditional places" was used - you know?

We can all say - or maybe some of you - that certain parts of Asia have issues in that respect - can't get around it - although so do other places in the world - but the point being is that is it ever really right to say "the traditional place to have sex with children is...".

I don't think so.

See - it should be looked at as a problem not as in "If you want to have sex with kids you go here" - to me - there's just a little difference, and I'm not lambasting the person's name I can't remember, or the interview, or interviewee itself - but you know what - I just didn't like it.

I didn't like the fact that people are referring to areas close to my mother ship as the "traditional places" to have sex with kids. The phrase "traditional places" and any variants of the word "tradition" should really be reserved for things like "A table is the traditional place to have thanksgiving dinner", or "The traditions of the school are kept alive by the alumni".

Call me old school, but I just don't think the words "traditional" and "place" should really go together with the phrase "sex with kids".

Is it just me or is visualizAsian.com just on a roll these days? This time around for their AAPI Empowerment Series they've got Lac Su - and I'm sure that's going to be a great interview and conversation - and remember - you can get in on it free:

We’ll be speaking with Lac Su, the author of the powerful new memoir, “I Love Yous Are for White People.” Lac Su is an executive for TalentSmart, a global think tank and management consulting firm, in the day time, and a husband, a father, a painter, a photographer, and a writer by night. He was born in Danang-Vietnam, grew up in Los Angeles, and now resides in San Diego. “I Love Yous Are for White People” is his first book—a memoir.

The book opens at a breakneck pace with the memories of his family’s escape from Vietnam, and segues into the family’s introduction to life as refugees in Los Angeles. Lac’s father is authoritarian and abusive, and as the years go by, the entire family lives in fear of his temper. The lack of affection and support from his father — the book’s title refers to the idyllic loving families the young Lac saw on American television shows and movies, and at his school friends’ homes — eventually lead Lac into the world of gang thuggery to seek an alternative family acceptance and a sense of belonging. He went on to a magnet high school and on to college, and now has a doctorate. It’s a testament to his strong spirit that he survived the tumult of his early life and then captured it so vividly! This is an inspirational story about succeedingdespite adversity.

Can’t make the live event? Register so you’ll get access to the recording to listen to later. And, you only need to register once to hear about future interviews. So, if you already received the dial-in info, you’re all set! Want to ask Lac a question? Once you’re registered, you can submit questions for Lac prior or during the interview on the webcast page.IMPORTANT NOTE: If you've registeredfor any previous interviews with Sec. Norm Mineta, Yul Kwon, Phoebe Eng, Kip Fulbeck, Senator Mee Moua, Dale Minami, Tamlyn Tomita, Lane Nishikawa or Phil Yu you do NOT need to register again – you should have received the dial-in and webcast info.

I got this sent in to me from Simon who founded the band The Slants and it's really a great cause - just pick up their digital single "Slants! Slants! Revolution" and 100% of the profits will go towards cancer research for API women and while I could probably say a lot more - I figure why not just let Simon himself:

Some of you know our passion to reach out to the Asian American community. For the last few years, I've been travelling across North America to speak to fans about API concerns, addressing racial stereotypes, and talking to API youth about proud of their heritage. It has been an amazing journey and we're continuing to work with Asian festivals, conventions, and clubs around the country to promote the beauty of Asian culture. However, I realize that there is another subject that is not addressed enough in our community: cancer.

As an employee of the American Cancer Society, I've been working with the organization to reach more individuals in the API community and address health disparity concerns. I work with two ACS funded researchers whose projects are focused on cervical cancer in Chinese and Vietnamese women, who have the highest age-adjusted rate in the United States (five times higher in Vietnamese women than white). There are a number of reasons for this disparity which has existed for quite some time, but one of the greatest reasons is lack of attention for the issue. I'm working to change that.

To do this, I'd like to donate 100% of our profits from every sale of "Slants! Slants! Revolution" to cancer prevention research in Asian women. The hard copy release isn't available right now, but anyone can check it out at ITunes, Amazon MP3, and the standard digital outlets.

If you needed any more info - or had any questions - I'm sure Simon would be more than happy to answer any and all inquiries. Just check out their MySpace page and send them out a message.

I never really posted much on Ben from Survivor earlier this year - even though I saw a couple of episodes (I just didn't get into it much this time around) - but I happened to catch this newspaper clip of him denying he's racist:

Browning, 28, told Stuff.co.nz in an exclusive interview he denied all claims of racism. "It's condescending," he said. "My girlfriend's Asian so how does that work? Everybody who knows me knows that I'll say whatever whenever. "That doesn't make me a racist - just the ballsiest guy in the room."

“Yamsin is just a piece of work. Yasmine has a big mouth. Yasmine smells bad. She’s got really poor grammar. I think Yasmin is pretty close to being a hooker. She’s ghetto trash plain and simple. She needs to go back to eating ketchup sandwiches and drinking kool aid and doing whatever else she does [...] She is ghetto trash and needs to go back where she came from.”

I'm not going to say that the coupling of people from different races can't or doesn't create some great conversations about race and racism - because they can - but it doesn't mean they have too either - and I don't know about you - but maybe if he would have said something like "My girlfriend's Asian American and we talk a lot about race, racism, the effects, the hurdles, being an interracial couple..." - I might take his comments a little different - but as is - it pretty much sounds like the same old WPBS (White People Bullshit) - the "How can I possibly be racist when I wave to the Asian family down the street? I don't have anything against those chinky little bastards" type of WPBS.

For those of you looking for some Zhang Ziyi news - and even if you're not you really are - apparently I can help - even if the news is from a little earlier in the month (because that's the just the way I roll):

National Geographic Channel in Asia is set to premiere a new travel series featuring Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, known for her roles in House of Flying Daggers and Memoirs of a Geisha. Zhang Ziyi Travel Series premieres on National Geographic Channel in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan on November 14. It sees the movie star journeying through Oman and Inner Mongolia with the help of local guides and famous friends such as photographer Yu Tsai. The show was originally created by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, which is co-producing it with Nat Geo, and puts a spotlight on local people as they protect their heritage, culture, history, music, art and environment. Ziyi is the global brand ambassador for the Shangri-La. "National Geographic Channel and Shangri-La share a commitment to showcasing and preserving the natural beauty of the world," said Choylin Mok, supervising producer at National Geographic Channel Asia. "This unique documentary series is a result of this joint aim. In these documentaries, Ziyi is more of a central character than a traditional host by opening her heart as she takes us from glittering metropolises to the very edge of the world."

Although it would be Zhang's second feature as producer, "Flower" would be the first in partnership with Murdoch, the China-born wife of News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch. Sloan, who is Malaysian-Chinese, is married to MGM chairman Harry Sloan. The nascent partnership appears to have Zhang -- perhaps China's most exportable female star -- following the practice of big Hollywood talent: establishing her own production company to pull in projects for herself and control a greater share of revenue.

The "Snow Flower" script, based on the novel by Lisa See, was penned by Wang and screenwriter Michael Ray, collaborators on Wang's 2007 film "The Princess of Nebraska." Shooting is expected to begin early next year in China. "My greatest hope -- and belief -- is that the film will be very true to the original story, while at the same time embracing Wayne Wang's vision," See said in an e-mail from Los Angeles. "I am aware -- as are we all -- that books and movies have very different needs and requirements to make them successful, so I really look forward to seeing the film. I'm really excited about it!"

Zhang is coming off a Chinese boxofffice success with the contemporary urban romantic comedy "Sophie's Revenge," her first film as producer.

A while back I posted up on The Valley Swim Club who were trying to keep the good 'ol policy of Whites Only alive and well - and rightly so got lambasted for it - and I just read a post up on Live Journal that apparently they're filing for bankruptcy.

A suburban swim club accused of discrimination last summer after revoking the memberships of mostly black and Hispanic children plans to declare bankruptcy, a newspaper reported Saturday. Valley Swim Club president John Duesler sent an e-mail to club "friends and families" Friday saying the board of directors had voted to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week, The Philadelphia Daily News reported.

Duesler wrote in the e-mail that many would blame the bankruptcy on legal proceedings and negative media exposure, the newspaper said. But, he said, "the truth is that the club has struggled to stay out of the red for at least the last decade" and owes more than $100,000 in operational expenses and legal fees, the newspaper reported.

So there is some justice there - because those MF's should be outta business - but there is some bad news to this as well because the bankruptcy filing puts a temporary stay on the the suit filed by The Creative Steps day camp - and say what you will about a litigious society - I like it when these types of cases go to court and someone's gotta pay out because it gives the message to other organizations and companies that they'll be held accountable and in some ways it ties a financial impact to racism.

For VIP tickets, come to Lerner Ramps 12-5 PM Monday-Friday from now until the show! VIP seating gets sold out quickly so order early to get better seats.

This year is the 15th Anniversary of AAA! To celebrate this achievement, we are holding our largest culture show yet, CultureSHOCK: Lost & Found! This year, our theme is Lost & Found, which signifies the important and continual search and acceptance of the Asian American identity through the manifestation of the arts, fashion, music, dance, song, spoken word, comedy, and video skits that pervades through American culture.

To make the night even more exciting, we are raffling off a Michael Kors black leather tote, $200 gift certificate to YesStyle.com, a Kaplan course, and 2 pairs of NJ Nets tickets! EVERYONE will receive $2 McDonald’s Arch Cards and unlimited Red Bull all night!

A strong student and athlete, Le won appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1992 with merit, he rose through the ranks of the Navy. Last April he took command of the USS Lassen and its crew of 300. He was at the helm this summer when the Lassan shadowed a North Korea vessel thought to be carrying illegal weapons -- the Lassen forced it back to port.

This week, Le and his ship made the latest in a series of good will visits to Vietnam. "I've always dreamed of coming back to Vietnam eventually," he said. Setting foot on Vietnamese soil, he was greeted as something of a celebrity. Crowds cheered and asked to take his picture.

I was reading this article in the AP about some of the thoughts from people on Obama's Asia trip and the link between the U.S. and China:

David Zhang came to America in 1985 looking for freedom and opportunity. "What I dream of here I couldn't even dream of in China: cars, a house, a good, decent job. I could dream that here, and I realized it. Now in China, all these things we accomplished, they have accomplished."

Zhang, a pathologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and president of the Association of Chinese American Physicians, leads regular delegations of American doctors to his homeland. He collaborates with China on cancer research and clinical trials and is urging his hospital to enter the Chinese health care market.

"As Chinese physicians, we meet with the (Mount Sinai) board of trustees regularly. Ten years ago you don't even dare speak to them," he said.

Yet many Chinese-Americans fear that China's rise could create a backlash. They still have painful memories of Vincent Chin, the Chinese-American beaten to death in 1982 by two unemployed Detroit autoworkers as Japanese cars were beginning to decimate the American auto industry.

"That kind of hate crime, senseless hate crimes, would happen if the countries' relations are not very good. So on a personal level, Chinese-Americans are always very anxious," said Min Zhou, a sociology professor at UCLA and author of "Contemporary Chinese America." "

As China's economy has grown, she said, "sometimes I would hear people say, even jokingly, 'Oh, you're taking our jobs away.' When I hear this, I feel, 'Who am I? I'm American.'"

When I read these types of articles they always make think about having that sense of pride and awe in a country where you have roots while at the same time feeling and breathing who you are as an American and sometimes I wonder about where we - as Asian Americans - fit into that greater world model.

Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent (MAPID), the producer of Breaking the Bow, announces the Asian Pacific Islander Writers group. Focus is on new and emerging writers but all are invited to apply. Due to space restrictions, the group will be limited to 10 at this time and will be formed by an application process. The group will explore varied forms of written expression including but not limited to playwriting, screenwriting, short story and long form writing. The group will concentrate on individual and collective writings with a possible project arising from the group for production at Breaking the Bow 2010. Commitment and a supportive nature are imperative. The group will also participate in giving back to the community which may include volunteering opportunities. Diva attitudes and selfish personalities need not apply.

Meetings are slated to be held evenings of every 2nd Monday of the month in Studio City, CA. Meetings will begin in January 2010.

Interested writers should send a brief bio or resume if any, and a narrative not to exceed one page that includes reasons and objectives for joining the writers group. Include contact information as well.

Richard Heene, the father of "Balloon Boy" Falcon Heene, pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant stemming from the families' Oct. 15 hoax, according to CNN. His wife, Mayumi Heene, is charged with one misdemeanor count of false reporting to authorities.

I doubt they'll get the max - on anything - and while I'm a little torn on that (just out of principle in this case) it's probably the best decision for the family as a whole - meaning the kids.

You can catch a great listen down at NPR of bassist Tatsu Aoki, who's also the executive director of Asian Improv aRts Midwest, talk about so many topics that really - it's not even worth it to list them all here. You just need to check it out for yourself.

2008 Year In Review

If you're looking for the 2008 In Review Posts, the link list has been moved out, but you can still get to them all by following this link which pulls them up by label (they'll be in reverse so go to the oldest post to read them in order).

2007 In Review Posts

If you're looking for the 2007 In Review Posts, the link list has been moved out, but you can still get to them all by following this link which pulls them up by label (they'll be in reverse so go to the oldest post to read them in order).

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